HW2020: Pet Names
by ShipMistress
Summary: Part of my Hiccstrid Week 2020. An innocent question might lead to more than was expected.


**On we go with part 2.**

**(I'm not entirely sure there's a point in posting it here at all, but since it's written anyway I guess why not.)**

**. o O o .**

"Can you hand me the mayonnaise, please?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the combination of food on Astrid's plate. "Really?"

Astrid stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes, really. Beef with broad beans, haricots... and mayonnaise. It's the absolute _best_. You should try it."

"Ew, no thanks," Hiccup wrinkled his nose at her occasionally weird taste, but handed her the requested dish of mayonnaise. "Here you go, Milady."

Beaming, she took it and spooned a good amount of the pale goo onto her plate. "Thanks, babe."

With a slight shake of his head and a fond smile, Hiccup watched his girlfriend devour the weird combination with relish, noticing the bemused looks she got from other customers at the hotel's dining room. This was Astrid for you, never ashamed of anything. And he loved her for it.

**. o O o .**

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmh?" Astrid looked up from her book and over to her boyfriend on his side of the bed. "As long as you're not going to ask whether I'm pregnant because of my _'strange cravings'_, go ahead. Because that's a joke my mom makes since I'm five years old."

Hiccup coughed, poorly covering up the laughter that threatened to bubble up inside him, and Astrid smiled – both at his reaction and at the fond memories of friendly teasing around the Hofferson's dining table.

"No, that's not it," he said, then grinned. "But you could say it goes into the same direction."

"Oh? How's that?" she asked, bemused. He _knew_ that she took her pill rather religiously, so, surely, that couldn't be his concern.

He chewed on his lower lip, hesitating even though he'd started the conversation. "I was just… well, _wondering_, you know? Why you picked up _babe_ as a pet name for me. " He shrugged, looking curious.

Astrid blinked, and even though she tried to keep a composed face, she couldn't keep her lips from twitching. Truth be told, she hadn't thought about that, at all. The name had sprung to her mind without thought or reason; it just fit.

But that didn't mean she couldn't tease him a little, did it?

"Well," she began, leaning back into the plush cushions of the hotel bed, and pretended to think about it. "I think I chose it because you truly _are _like a baby, and I constantly have to watch out for you. No, don't deny it," she quickly went on when he was about to protest. "You do remember us doing zip lining yesterday, right? Without my help, you couldn't even have put on the gear."

At that, he rolled his eyes, waving at her with his arms. "Astrid, it's part of your _job_ to help people into safety gear like this, being a climbing instructor and all. Letting you help me was only logical. That doesn't mean I _couldn_'t have done it myself!"

Astrid giggled. "Whatever you say, babe. But what about our skiing vacation last year?"

"That was an _accident!" _he emphasised, blushing.

He looked a little put out though, so even with how much fun it was to tease him, Astrid decided to show a little mercy. Quickly, she shifted until she knelt above him, straddling his legs, and taking his cute face into her hands. Her mood shift clearly having caught him off guard, he blinked up at her. His lips parted, but before he could say anything, she firmly pressed her mouth to his, cutting off any complaint he might come up with.

"And I picked it because you're just so _adorable_," she mumbled against his lips, grinning after kissing him to distraction. "Because I love to watch you when you're getting excited about something new, when you're entirely focused on something interesting, and when you sleep, so peacefully. My cute dorky boyfriend. And I never want to be without you again."

Hiccup pulled away a little, gazing up at her in clear surprise. Astrid bit her lip and looked away. She wasn't sure where those words had come from. Oh, they were true, all right. But it wasn't really like her to get sentimental like this. Although… that was another thing she loved about Hiccup; that she could let go around him, could become soft and open and trust him not to hurt her.

It took Hiccup a few moments to react, to lift his hand to her chin and turn her head around until she was looking at him again. "Do you know why I call you Milady?"

Frowning slightly, Astrid shook her head.

"Two reasons," Hiccup explained with a warm smile. "First, because that's what you are. You are my lady, the love of my life. You are the one for me. And I don't want to ever be without you, either."

A strange warmth spread through her chest at his words. She wasn't surprised, not _really_. Even though they'd never before phrased it explicitly like this, they knew about each other's feelings and how deep they ran. But still… had they just proposed to each other?

Too overwhelmed to think, let alone form coherent words, she leaned in for another kiss, one that only ended about half an hour later with them both sweaty on their backs and panting for air.

"Oh, wow! That… yep!" Astrid gasped, grinning. "Hand me the water, babe? I'm parched."

Chuckling to himself, Hiccup rolled around and reached for the bottle on the nightstand, and mumbled something like, "As I said, two reasons."

Only dimly, Astrid remembered him having said that before, and frowned. "Right. What's the second reason?"

Grinning, he handed her the bottle. "Because you have a tendency to order people around, me included." She wanted to protest, but he cut her off with a quick kiss and added, "And I love you for it."

**. o O o .**

**Maybe someone likes it. I wouldn't know, I guess.**


End file.
